As someone who suffered from trauma, this is my way to honor your feelings and give you input into better days ahead of you.

Most of us face trauma, and if untreated, it can affect our lives until we learn that dealing with it is the only way to move on in the right direction.

Traumatic events don't have an expiration date. Your childhood trauma will follow you until the day you start accepting it and learning to cope with the emotions.

Hold yourself back, or heal yourself back together. You decide.
― Brittany Burgunder

Trauma is difficult to process, but it leaves us a lot of space for personal growth. Since it causes severe damages to our sense of self, when you're in the process of figuring things out, you'll be able to get closer to your authentic self.

What you truly need to deal with trauma

You have to be ready to feel hard because we tend to hide from the pain. It might take time, but be gentle to yourself and understand that there are numerous emotions.

You should be able to feel more than just sadness or happiness. Allow yourself to get angry, furious, frustrated, nostalgic, and on the other side, you'll find joy, peace, and like a million feelings in between.

The time you spend on healing is never wasted. You're getting to know yourself, and if you're doing it right, you'll be stronger and more pragmatic.

Sharing your story

As someone who lived through several traumatic events, I can only say that my first instinct was to be quiet. But, that was the wrong approach. It left me drained, anxious, and on the verge of depression.

Personally, the most important lessons weren't about events. They were about my reactions, and after many years I can say that I am more confident and more open to giving life chances. I managed to grow up, and you will too.

You don't have to write a novel, but even speaking about it to your family and friends is a good start. When you're ready, you can share your story with a broader audience. You'll be surprised how many people are coping with similar issues.

Covid-19 trauma is real

Your world is not what it was. You aren't feeling or doing things that made your day. For many, this Covid-19 trauma is yet to show its ugly face.

Your only job now is to survive. But, the moment this ends, you'll experience various worries, and that's a normal response to a worldwide tragedy. If you're in quarantine, you might feel lonely and disconnected. If you have to go to work, you're most likely scared for your life. Either way, don't let anyone tell you that your feelings aren't real.

When and how to seek help

Ideally, you would seek help yesterday. But, during the pandemic, that's not possible. You can meditate, do progressive muscle relaxation, and light exercises. The pandemic might trigger old traumas and unresolved issues.

While seeking online help is more than welcome, you need to keep your mind busy, but at the same time, it's ok to feel pretty much as if you're going crazy. You're not: what's happening is not normal, and your brain is merely reacting to it.

What can you do now, at this moment?

Stop reading the news, and show some self-love. You can cook, facetime your friends and family, write a diary, read, listen to music, and treat yourself with homemade face and hair masks. Get plenty of rest, and be grateful that tomorrow is a new day. Talk to strangers on social media; it's the perfect time to understand that mental health should be everyone's priority.

We will live through this because we are in this together. No matter what happened and what is happening now, things will get better. Your trauma does not define you, but it can teach you to be more resilient and appreciate life in ways you never thought was possible!